The alfar of Nagast decorate the inside of their houses with tile mosaics. Floors are adorned with simple but pleasingly colourful patterns, while walls and ceilings are decorated with more advanced artwork, which often includes complicated motifs.

The simple tile patterns on floors tend to come in the rich colours which the alfar prefer, such as purple, blue and red; the exact colour preference varies from place to place and from clan to clan. In most cases, each floor mosaic is made using only two colours.

In the houses of wealthy individuals and in thriving businesses, however, the floor mosaics are more advanced, and contain tiles with as many as four or five different colours. These mosaics often show simple motifs, such as the silhouettes of alfar spires, and the stylized outlines of dammar mushrooms and arkin trees. In some large rooms, lines of stylized djuprose flowers run along the walls or in large-scale patterns on the floor.

The walls of alfar houses are decorated with mosaics that are more intricate than those that adorn floors. In many cases, wall mosaics depict more advanced and colourful versions of popular floor motifs, such as arkin trees and alfar spires. Other popular subjects for wall and ceiling mosaics include colourful depictions of the Orb of Melek and the Towers of Silence.

The orb of Melek is a golden circle containing a field of black broken by arkinwood-like blotches of dark purple. The orb is surrounded by jagged, golden rays that resemble stylized radiation, and have the general shape of elongated versions of the letter ‘z’.

The Towers of Silence are generally shown in relief with the Temple of Descent (Nagast's most sacred church) underneath them.

Melek triumphant
The most spectacular alfar mosaics – found only in public buildings and the houses of the extremely wealthy – show Melek in standardized poses and situations. One popular motif shows Melek executing members of other races with Sithra Ahra. Rows upon rows of victims are shown awaiting execution, tied down to individual chopping blocks, while Melek holds a crowned human head by the hair.

Another popular motif is Melek leading the alfar underground, heroically shielding his children from the wrath of the mirdain gods. Melek is shown as an enormous figure, his hands spread protectively over fleeing alfar refugees under him. Melek’s features dissolves into a cloak shielding the hindmost ranks of the alfar.

In a third popular motif, Melek battles Myrthai and Lorathai, the two gods of the Mirdain. In these mosaics, he seems to be driving back the Mirdain gods, who are cowering from him and from the tendrils of the Sithra Ahra. The battle between the three elven gods is usually shown as taking place in a withered and lifeless forest, under a red sun.

A fourth subject which is popular with makers of large, expensive mosaics, is Melek stealing the Circlet of the Sun, which was a wedding gift from Lorathai to Myrthai. Melek is shown sneaking the shining artefact off his sleeping mother’s head.

Animal Statues
The alfar decorate their rooms and public spaces with large and medium-sized clay statues which are covered in colourful mosaic tiles. In general, the tiles on these statues are be more brightly coloured (orange, red and yellow is common) than those on wall- or floor bound decorations. All mosaic-covered statues depict an animal of some kind, with lizards, snakes, leatherwings and dragons being most common. The statues are placed on floors and ceilings, and small, lightweight ones are even attached to walls and ceilings.

Light Orbs
Instead of torches and lamps, the alfar illuminate their settlements using orbs of magical light in three different colours: white, bluish white, and a stark yellow. The orbs swirl slowly, in predetermined patterns, around the points they are set to illuminate. They are designed to accentuate the rich colour-play of Nagast rock, rather than to be decorative in their own right.

Light orbs are approximately one meter in diameter. Individual houses are sometimes illuminated by orbs which are exactly half the size of those used on major buildings. Indoor lighting is provided by orbs that are little bigger than alfar fists, and which either swirl slowly around, or are fixed in place.

The orbs used for indoor illumination come in a greater variety of colours than those used outside. The preferred inside colours include red, green, purple, blue, and a golden yellow.